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The Church and the Messianic Kingdom

F

fiat

Guest
I read a fantastic article today and wanted to summarize it here.

The Ways in Which the Church is the fulfillment of the Messianic Kingdom prophesied in the Old Testament:

1. Universality was a characteristic prophesied of the coming Messianic Kingdom...the OT says that the twelve tribes AND the gentiles will yield to the Son of David. His dominion will be through all the earth. Most importantly, unity will be the result of common Faith. "It shall come to pass in the last days (i.e. in the Messianic Era] . . . that many nations shall say: Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths; for the law shall go forth out of Sion, and the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem"

2. The Messianic Ruler will fulfill three roles...priest, prophet, and king
A. The Kingdom:
1. The priest will be "after the order of Melchisedech" and a new sacrificial system will be established. And the sacrifice offered by the priesthood of the Messianic kingdom will be offered "from the rising of the sun even to its going down."
2. The Messianic Kingdom will be called the kingdom of Truth and will be possessed of the Divine Revelation (Jer. 31:31, 34, Zach 8:3....)
3. The Messiah shall rule(Ez 34:23, 37: 24-28...), and a priesthood subordinate to Him will be established. (Jer 18, Ps 17..) These will be "shepherds after His own heart)

3. The Kingdom of God
1. Refers first to the Church on earth with Christ as its head, and was called such in the NT (Col 1:13, I Thess 2:12, 1 Cor 15: 23-28, II Tim 4:1...) Catholics would call it the Church Militant cause we're still fighting the good fight and running the course of the race
For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, 10 when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power.For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
2. Kingdom of God refers also to the end of time and the "new Jerusalem." This is what Catholics would call the Church Triumphant. :wink:

All that lovely info from http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03744a.htm
Please read! It's worth it!
 
However, keep in mind that much of the Messianic kingdom spoken about in the OT is talking about the world to come where the 'lion will lay down with the lamb' and young ones will 'grow up like calves in the stall' and Isaiah 66 mentions how from one new moon to the next and one Sabbath to the next all will come to the New Jerusalem to worship.

None of these things are fulfilled in the present day age of the NT but will climax in the new heavens and new earth at the end of time when "all things will be under His feet"
 
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